Rear-view mirror



June 21, 1927. 1,633,282.

1 .1.3. olsHEl REAR vIEw MIRROR' Filed May 15, 1924.

' (Q6 eg A/LZ Patented June 21, 1927.

UNITED vsii-.arles JOHN R. OISHEI, OF BUFFALO, NEWS YORK.

REAR-.VIEW Minnen. i,

Application led May i175,

This invention relates to rear visionmir-y rors for vehicles.

i In certain motor vehiclesyof the closed or sedan type, the location of the rear windows thereof yis such that it is necessary to provide a rear view mirror, the refiecting portion of which is positioned a considerable Y distance below .the upper frame bar of the windshield. Further, in order that substantially the full surface of the'mirror maybe used for reflection, it is desirable thatV the mirror be'placed in front of and at one side of thedriver of the vehicle instead of di# rectly in front ofthe driver. vIn order to obtain? proper reflection under these conditions, it is necessary that the reflecting surkface of the mirror. be inclined with respect to the windshield or other transversely extending parts at the front of the vehicle. It isfurther desirable that Vdevices-of this Ykind be constructed so that theyw-ill not readily, vibrate, the reflecting surface remaining substantially motionlessA when the device is in use. v Devices have been proposed for this purpose, some comprising ka single articulated-or jointed arm adapted to be supportedV on a part of the vehicle and having a mirror supported at its lower eX- tremity. In thesedevices, there is considerable `vibration of the mirror. .Other devices lhave included pairs of articulated or jointed arms. Thesedevices'are difficult to adjust and-theV articulated arms permit undesirable movement Vof ythe glass or reflectingsurface, thereby getting ont of proper reflecting range or distorting the reflected imafre. Further, the devices must be easy of attahment yand preferably comprise few parts capable `of ybeing manufactured at a small cost.

The objectsrof thev present invention are to provide a mirror forv motor vehicles in which the glass or reflecting surface is firmly supported .a distance below the ,point of attachment of the device to the vehicle;

also to provide a rear'vision mirror con-` sisting of'few parts, in which the-'mirror vis Y disposed a distance below theV point,.of-at tachment to .the vehicle; also toprovide.y a. f, rear visionmirror of the drop type which will notl vibrate; also to provide improvements 1n rearvision mirrors for vehil'esfin,

' ,an enlarged scale.

.of the arms.

Fig. 5 isgan end elevationr thereof. Fig. 6 1s a section on line 6-6, FigQ, on

' The mirror ofthe present invention conlprisesgenerally, a. bracket, described hereinafter, having parts for attachment to a frame member of the vehicle or to a part of vthe windshield, a mirror plate or reflecting surface, anda holder part on lthe mirror plate or reflecting surface whereby the mirror is mounted on the bracket.

vIn the embodiment'of the invention shown,

klddesignates they bracket which has anatt'ac'hing portion 11 whichy is adapted to be vsecured to a part` ofthe vehicle or ya part vof the windshield. The attaching'portion is Ypreferably providedwith a plane'face 11a adaptedY to contactv with atransverse'part of the vehicle orwindshield frame. 'As shown ,in the drawings, this attaching part may be provided' with holes 12 whereby it may be readily. and firmly secured to the vehicle by means of suitable boltsor screws, whereby theattaching portion `is firmly secured. 13

-and 14 designate a pair of drop arms. These drop arms are preferablyintegral with the attaching [portion of the bracket and the lower ends of the arms are provided with offset bearing portions. rl `he armsV are pref# i erably rigid and, as shown, the offset bearing parts may be provided by offsetting the ends j The drop arms, as shown, preferably extend downwardly and forwardlyjof the vehicle to "pointsforwarcl or in front of the Vertical plane of the attaching portion face, the bearing portion of one arm beingY in advance of the other to' provide the offset feature'and at least one end Vof the reflector or vmirror plate being forward or in front of the vertical plane Vof the attaching portion.;v face. The bracket, including the .attaching portionand'the rigidy arms, may

bereadilycastof suitable material, whereby a suiiiciently strong and rigid fixture of suhticient weight to lessen vibrations of the mirror which it supports, is cheaply produced.

15 designates the reiiecting surface which may be a mirror of any suitable kind, and the mirror is connected to the drop arms of the bracket by suitable meaiis.-y For lthis purpose, in the embodiment shown, there is provided a holding member 16 Ehaving hngers which embrace the edges ofthe mirror plat-e and having rearwardly"extending ears or bracket portions 17 which are adapted'to be connected 'to the drop' arms'of the bracket. The ears or bracket portionsl 17 of the mirror plate are preferably pivotally secured to the lower ends cf'the bracket drop arins, thus disposing the mirror a considerable distance below the att-aching portion of the bracket. In the embodiment shown, .the lower 'ends of the bracket drop arms are slotted as at 18, andthe holder plate ears or brackets extend into these slotted portions and are pivotally secured therein by means of transversely extending boltsv 19, 2O designates friction washers interposed between the holder plate ears and the slotted-arms of the bracket, whereby vthe mirror plate may be pivotally turned on the lower end of the bracket arms and is frictionally held byl said washers in any desired angular position. y y The bearing portions at the lower ends of the bracket drop arms being offset relatively to one lanother and positioned forward or in front of the vertical plane of the attaching portion face, provide a pivotal axis for the mirrorv at inclination to the face plane of the attaching bracket. This results, when the attaching portion of the bracket is secured to a transversely extending part of the front frame of the automobile or of the windshield, in the face plane of thel mirror being 'disposed in a planeat an angle or inclination to tlie'front of the vehicle and renders it po-ssibleto attach t-lie mirror'in front of and at one side of the operator of the vehicle, thereby obtaining a. full reflecting surface. rllhe pivotal connection l between the bracket drop arms and the 'mirror permit the mirror to be swung or turned on its substantially horizontal axis.

The bearing portions for pivotal moveinentof the mirror being offset so that the pivotal axis of the mirror Vis at an angle or inclination to the 'transverse plane of the vehicle on the mirror supporting bracket result-s, when the mirror is turned from the normal vertical position, shown in full lines in vlFig. 2, in portions of the mirror projectin;` transversely beyond the space they normally occupy in *verticaly position. 'Thus the mirror not only permits verticaladjustine'nt to r-eiiect imagesof objects of Vdifferent heightsor 'different distances in rear of the vehicle, but transverse adjustment as well to reflect images of objects more or less at one side or theV other of the lengthwise center line or plane of the vehicl-e.

l I claim as my invention: l. In arear view mirror, a reflecting` surface, va supporting member therefor, said supporting nienibercomprising an att-aching portion adapted to be secured to a support oii'a"'veliicle, a pair of spaced, rigid dropV arms extending from the outer face of said attaching `portion downwardly and under the latter, the lower end of one of saidv arms extending forwardly 'beyond vthe endlof thev other' arm for supporting the reflecting Asurface beneath the attaching portion lso that the latter will overhang thev saine, bearing, portions in the ends of said arms forwardly of the vertical plane of'said attaching portion, and means pivotally connecting lsaid reflecting surface to said'arm's for. pivotal movement about said bearing portions.

2. In `a jrear view mirror for vehicles, a

one-piece bracket having'an attaching poreV tion with a face adapted to Contact Awith a transverse part ofthe vehicle and to be secured thereto, and a pair of spaced, rigid drop arms, one of said arms extending downwardly and forwardly beyond the vertical plane of said attaching portion face and the other'arm extending downwardly and forwardly a greater distance beyond the vertical plane of said 'attaching portion face than said first-mentioned arm below said attach-f Ytion to the opposite side thereof, bearing portions adjaceiit the' lower ends 'of said 'drop arms on said opposite'side of said attaching portion, said bearing portions lying in a plane at an anglel to the plane of said attaching portion face and forward of the vehicle beyond the vertical plane of saidA attaching 'portion face, a reflecting surface, and. a

holder plate having parts secured to said reflecting surface and vparts pivotally secured to said'bearing portions.'V

4. Ina rear view mirror, a reflecting surface,` abracket having an attaching `portion with a forwardface adapted to be secured arrainsta transverse art of a vehicle and an outer face, anda pair of rigid drop arinsextending from the outer lface of said attaching portion downwardly and beneath the latter and terminating in advance of said for- Ward face, Said arms being substantially inr parallel planes extending perpendicular to the faces of said attaching portion, the lower portion of one arm extending beneath the space-d further from the vertical plane of. 0 said attachingy portion than the latter arm` so that a common pivotal axis through the free ends` of said arms will be inclined relative to the plane of said attaching portion, and means for adjustably mounting said 1eflecting surface on the common pivotal axis vwhereby the reflecting surface Will be supported at an inclination to said attaching portion.

JOHN R. OISHEI.Y 

